


Lesson #2: Don't Dwell On Your Setbacks

by ThreadOfFate



Series: Archery Lessons, Or: How To Woo A Hunter Without Really Dying [2]
Category: Octopath Traveler (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Healing, Injury, a slight-ish graphic injury depiction, and by that i mean loving this ship, and if no one else is gonna write it, but not much and then the fun starts, but nothing too bad i feel, i am back on my bullshit, it's a good ship, lil bit of angst at the start, then by god i am going to
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-23 10:28:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15604302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThreadOfFate/pseuds/ThreadOfFate
Summary: In which Tressa gets hurt and H'aanit is a tiny bit worried.





	Lesson #2: Don't Dwell On Your Setbacks

As Tressa had learned, delving into monster-infested caves was simply an occupational hazard of becoming a travelling adventurer.  She had never _intended_ to become an adventurer, but the group she had fallen in with had more-or-less pulled her into that life.

Sure, the merchant life had some perils - there was always the risk of bandits, a wayward monster attack, or drowning in a shipwreck, but spelunking and career monster fighting had never really been things she had seen in her future.

A future that was now swiftly, and literally, bleeding away.

It was just bad luck.  She was seasoned in fights by now, on her guard and aware of her surroundings - surprise attacks and ambushes had come too frequently for her to be carefree when in the wilds.  Still, sometimes things slipped past her guard. Sometimes, Tressa zigged when she should’ve zagged, and this was one of those times.

A reanimated skeleton had slipped close from an odd angle and struck, giving her a deep gash that ran along her side and chest.  The hit sent her down with a surprised shout, one that had drawn the attention of her comrades. Ophilia’s magic swiftly turned the assaulting bones into dust, but the damage had been done.

Blood oozed from the wound freely and quickly as she lay on the ground, propped up by her backpack.  The initial sharp pain of the injury gave way to a dull ache, followed by a deep, dark chill that settled into her bones.  With it came a haze that washed over her eyes, and she was suddenly feeling more tired than she ever had before.

There were more shouts as she saw the others gathered around her, Aflyn already digging through his pack as he settled down by her injured side.  He was saying something, his words a muddled mess, and she just gave him a gentle smile. She liked his voice - it was soothing, and he was always so kind, like the brother she never had.

The chill spread through her, moving into her fingertips and creeping up her spine.   _Let go_ , it said, beckoning her into a depthless sleep.   _Come to sleep._

The temptation to follow the voice fell as she felt strong hands gripping her shoulders, shaking her, and she looked up to see someone holding her.  Light hair, exposed arms, and gray eyes.

_H’aanit._

“Tressa!”

H’aanit’s beautiful voice broke through the fog of Tressa’s brain, and she blinked a few times as a lantern came closer, illuminating H’aanit’s gorgeous face for Tressa to fully see.  The girl was worried, and Tressa didn’t understand why. _I’m just a little cold, Alfyn will take care of me, right?_

She coughed, a spray of red coming from her lips.  Alfyn noticed and grimaced, working faster. “Hey, H’aanit,” Tressa said lazily.  Speaking was difficult due to how tired she was. “You look...really good.”

“Hush, Tressa, speaken not.”  She put a finger over Tressa’s lips, then pulled off her fur cloak and placed it over Tressa’s uninjured side.  The weight of it comforted the injured girl, who spread her lips into a tired, drunken grin.

“Awww, thanks, H’aanit, you’re...you’re so nice to me,” Tressa mumbled, giggling for a second before it devolved into more coughing, staining H’aanit’s hand crimson.  Was H’aanit worried? Tressa tried to raise a hand to pat H’aanit’s shoulder, but her arms were really heavy, so she didn’t. “I’m...fine, I’m jus’ a little cold.”

Her eyes were so heavy, and she was getting so tired.  She really wanted to sleep, but H’aanit shook her again, stirring her back.  “Stayen awake, Tressa, thou cannot sleepen now.” She looked over at Alfyn, who was busy getting a thread and needle ready.  He called for Ophilia, who kneeled down next to him. Tressa tilted her head towards them, but H’aanit gently took her chin into her bloodstained hand, keeping her focused on the hunter’s face. “Keepen thine eyes fixed me.  Alfyn and Ophilia shall tenden to thine wounds.”

“It’s okay, H’aanit, I’ll...look at you all day.”  Another light smile from Tressa, one that H’aanit weakly returned.  Even in her state, Tressa could see the worry on H’aanit’s face. “Hey, don’t...stop worrying, you’re...you’re too pretty to look...like that.”

“Tressa, sayen not such words,” H’aanit said, a note of urgency in her voice.  “Thou hast suffered an injury, focus thine thoughts upon me, fallen not to the temptation of delusions.”

Tressa gave a tiny shake of her head.  “I’m not...I’m lookin’ at you, H’aanit, and you’re...so beautiful.”  Her vision was starting to fade. She didn’t want it to, she was so close to H’aanit now, so close to that beautiful face, the face she’d spent hours and hours dreaming of.  “But it’s okay, I’m...I’m gonna be fine. I wanna sleep.”

“Sleepen not, Tressa, please.”  H’aanit sounded urgent, shaking her again.  Alfyn nudged the hunter, stopping her from doing so more.  “Stayest awake, thou must. Looken at me.”

“I...don’t ever wanna stop lookin’ at you,” she slurred.  Her words were getting as heavy as the rest of her, the creeping cold slipping up to her mouth and seeping into her head.  “I’m sorry I...didn’t…”

Her tongue was iron, clumsy and difficult, but she wanted to say it.  She _needed_ to say it now or she never would, but it was so taxing, so difficult.  “I...I didn’t…”

And the darkness consumed her.

* * *

When Tressa awoke, she wondered if she was still dreaming.

She was warm and surrounded by softness, lying on her back underneath a blanket of thick, gentle fur.  Weeks sleeping in a tent on the road had made her miss this kind of thing - a proper bed with proper blankets.  It was quiet where she was, her new surroundings a far cry from the chaos and pain and hardness of where she’d last remembered being.  There had been blood, and cold, and a fight, and shouting, and...

 _By the gods, I almost died_.

Clearing the memories from her mind, she opened her eyes and blinked a few times to clear away the sleep.  With a heavy arm, she lifted the blanket to look at her side. She was shirtless but in comfy, loose pants, with bandages wrapped around her torso and chest, tinged red over her wound.  She gently traced over it with a finger, but even that contact brought with it a tinge of pain, so she winced and let the blanket fall back over her.

Looking around, she took stock of where she was.  She was in some kind of log cabin, decorated with furs and animal trophies and a surprisingly large number of kitchen and baking implements.  There was a fire going in the nearby fireplace, waves of heat radiating from it and keeping her pleasantly warm.  It all looked familiar, but it wasn’t until she saw H’aanit sitting at the table across the room that she realized where she was.  
  
_This is H’aanit’s house.  I didn't know she liked to bake._

She went to sit up and her wound immediately protested the movement, sending her back to a reclined position with a hiss of pain.  The noise got H’aanit’s attention, and she looked up from her stitching with a small smile on her face. Tressa smiled back, more than happy to see H’aanit looking so pleased.

“Thou awaken.”  H’aanit stood and moved over to sit on the edge of the bed, setting down her project on the table as she left.  She was without her usual fur cloak, dressed instead in just her form-fitting undercoat and pants. While they weren’t skintight, they certainly showed her off quite well, a lovely sight for the recently-awoken girl.  “To seest thou alert bringeth me great joy, Tressa.”

Tressa considered her response.  H’aanit had, after all, been the one close when she woke up.  She still had a multitude of feelings for the girl, and she wanted to say something suave, caring, maybe a little funny.

Unfortunately, just being around H’aanit turned her into a mealy-mouthed disaster, so what she did say was, “Hey, beau...nnit.”

H’aanit giggled and Tressa looked away, a redness creeping into her cheeks.  “How feelest thou?” She fixed Tressa with a curious eye, looking over what she could see - which, at this point, was Tressa’s head and shoulders and nothing else.

Tressa both did and did not want her to see everything else.

Ignoring the heat in her cheeks, she took a moment to figure out how she felt, breathing in deep and slowly letting it out through her nose as she wiggled her toes and fingers, then tried to move her arms and legs.  Most motions brought a small jab of pain with them, which made sense given the state of her abdomen. “...like I was run over by a rampaging salamander. Everything hurts, and I’m...I feel so exhausted. What happened?  The last thing I remember was...we were in a fight, and I got...oh, gods, I got hit bad.”

H’aanit nodded.  “Thy guard was penetrated by an errant foe, and it strucken thee with a wound most severe.”

“Yeah, it...I remember a sharp pain.” She glanced down to her side, pushing aside the blanket with her arm so she could take another look at the wound. H’aanit’s eyes flicked to the wound for a moment before fixing back on Tressa’s.  “And then it was very...cold, and...Alfyn and Ophilia were there, and you were there, and then...and then I woke up here. We’re back in S’warkii?”

“Indeed.  My homelands containeth a great many useful herbs and remedies, and we weren nearby.  Alfyn hath decided it weren best to remain here until thy spirit returneth.” She indicated the door with her head.  “Primrose hath departed, and with her, Therion, Cyrus, and Ophilia. Her desire for revenge hath motivated her to seeken out her targets before the trail runneth cold, and she hath promised to return within a fortnight.”

“Oh, yeah, that makes sense.  She _really_ wants to stab those guys.”   _I don’t blame her, knowing what they did..._

H’aanit smiled wider.  “Verily so. Thus, we rest.  Olberic and Alfyn remain, enjoying the quiet.  Olberic hath begun swordplay lessons with my kin, and though we haven little use for such knowledge, it cannot hurt.”

The image of Olberic show proper swordsmanship to a bunch of fur-clad hunters brought a smile to Tressa’s face.  The man had once given Tressa few pointers with her spear, tips she’d greatly appreciated - he knew how to fight, that much was certain.  “That sounds like him. What have you been up to? How long have I been out?”

“Me?”  H’aanit seemed surprised by the question.  “I...hath watched over you for some time,” she said, a bit too quickly.  “I handled some personal matters. Thy sleep persisted several nights, so there was time.”  She waved her hand dismissively in the air.

Tressa sighed, looking down at the fur covering.  “I’m sorry to have slowed everyone down…”

“Apologizen not, Tressa.  Thou sufferen a misfortune, and it will comen to all of us in time.  Such is the nature of a dangerous life.” She patted Tressa’s leg comfortingly.  “Dost thou rememberen anything else following thine injury?”

“No, not really.” Tressa gave H’aanit a confused look, one eyebrow arched way up.  “Why? Is there something I should be remembering?”

_Oh gods, what did I say while half-dead?_

There was a moment of inscrutability as Tressa couldn’t figure out what H’aanit was thinking, and then she relaxed, turning to face Tressa and pulling her knees up to her chest.  She brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear and met Tressa’s eyes - a powerful gaze that Tressa nonetheless didn’t want to miss any second of. “Tressa...hast thou ever been possessed by the maiden’s fever?”

“The...what?”

A trace of a grin quirked the corners of H’aanit’s lips up.  “Hast thou ever been in love?”

The mere mention of the word, combined with Tressa getting more than a little lost in H’aanit’s stormwracked yet gentle eyes, caused a flush to gently creep up Tressa’s cheeks.  “Wh...I, uh, I mean, I...maybe, I don’t...that’s very private, H’aanit, you can’t just ask me things like that!”

Her stammering prompted an amused smile from H’aanit.  “I haven, if thou weren’t awarest. My first love was a beautiful girl here in S’warkii, another hunter.  My first love, my first kiss...many firsts.” She smiled at the memories, then looked back to Tressa. “And thou?”

“Me?  Uh…I mean, I’ve...I’ve had crushes and stuff before, but I’ve...I dunno if I’ve ever been in love.”  A natural silence between them, and Tressa thought back to her own crushes. People passed through Rippletide all the time, stopping by her parents’ shop.  “There was...when I was 16, there was this one woman who came to our shop, back in Rippletide. I was working the desk that day, and...I remember when she walked in, because I thought, I have never seen someone like her.  She looked like a...a pirate captain, dressed in a long red coat, white and gold accents, with night-black hair and really deep blue eyes.

“I couldn’t help but stare at her, every inch of her perfect and flawless and... _powerful_ .  We talked for a little while.  Her voice was weathered, just a hint of roughness to it, a well-worn rope that you knew would hold anyway.  I wanted to _be_ her, and...I wanted to be _with_ her.  I wanted to sail the ocean, explore distant lands, battle powerful pirate princes….maybe...fall in love with her.”

She sighed gently, her hands fiddling with each other under the furs.  “...I always knew I liked...girls, and she...she kind of kicked me right into being really sure I did.  There weren’t really any other girls my age in the town that I saw, so..she...was my first real crush, I guess.

“She was only around for a little while, then she sailed off.  I haven’t seen her since, but...I’ll never forget how I felt when I talked to her.  I felt all warm and happy and...nervous, but a good kind of nervous. Like everything was gonna be really amazing, you know?”

_It’s...kind of how I feel when I talk to you._

Another comfortable silence, then Tressa spoke up again.  “Uh, H’aanit, what’s...what’s being in love feel like?”

H’aanit thought on it for a moment, still and silent as the wind in a calm clearing - and just as refreshing and beloved, in Tressa’s opinion.  “Thou seemest to have experienced it before, Tressa. Thy soul is warm and joyful and thy nerves rattled, but in a bewitching and comforting way.  When thou standest beside them, thy heart is pounding and full of glee, and when thy beloved is far away, thy heart is silent and sad. When their eyes fall upon thine own, the world feelest right.”

As H’aanit spoke quietly to her, it didn’t take much to realize that right now, Tressa was feeling all of those things.  She didn’t want anyone else here at the moment, and she didn’t really want H’aanit to leave. She kind of wanted H’aanit to lie down in the bed with her and hold her close while she slept, to bury her face in H’aanit’s chest and breathe in the rich, earthy scent of the hunter.

“That, uh...that sounds really nice,” she mumbled, her hands holding each other in lieu of holding H’aanit’s.  She hoped it would be enough to sate the urge to be held. It, unfortunately, did not.

“Indeed,” H’aanit agreed.  “Few things are better.” She turned and set her feet back on the floor, standing up slowly.  “I’ve some business to take care of. I shall returnen soon, but whilst I am away...” She whistled and Linde slipped inside a few seconds later, padding quickly over to Tressa when she saw her awake, ears perked up.

Tressa grinned and patted a spot on the bed, pulling the furs up to ensure her chest stayed covered.  Linde eagerly hopped up and rubbed her forehead against Tressa’s cheek and hands, deep bass purring coming from the large cat.  Tressa giggled and returned the affection, scratching Linde’s chin and behind her ears.

“She has becomen fond of thy presence,” H’aanit says as she folded her arms.  “I believen it is the chin scratches. She will keepen thou company until I am finished.”

“Couldn’t ask for better.”  Tressa smiled up at H’aanit, unable to keep the flush from her cheeks as she locked eyes with the hunter.  “...thank you, H’aanit.”

“‘Twas no trouble,” H’aanit said with a casual wave.  She moved to leave, but hesitated, seemingly mulling something over.  “Tressa...when thou’rt ready, so too am I. Talken to me when thy heart desiren it.”

With a short nod, she turned and walked out, ignoring or missing Tressa’s confused look.  “Ready…?” Tressa mumbled under her breath, hands occupied with scratching the large, warm leopard that lay next to her.  “What...what does that mean?

There was a knock at the door, and Alfyn peeked his head in.  “Tressa? Oh, good, you’re awake!” He walked over to the bed, smiling at her and carrying a wooden cup filled with something.  “Here, drink this. And I’m sorry ‘bout the smell. It ain’t gonna taste good, but it’ll help you heal faster.

He passed her the cup, filled with a green, acrid-smelling liquid.  It seemed more viscous than Tressa would’ve liked. She made a face as the odor wafted into her nose, and she gave Alfyn a suspicious look.  “...is this poison?”

“Yes, the kind of poison that makes you better and doesn’t hurt you.  So...the worst kind of poison. Or, the best kind of poison, but the worst at being a poison.  Now drink all of it, apothecary’s orders.” She set his satchel down on the table and started to dig around inside of it.

Tressa swallowed, then after a deep breath, she raised the cup to her lips and drank the stuff down.  It tasted as foul as it smelled, with a gritty, grassy aftertaste, and it was as gloopy as she was expecting it to be.  Alfyn took the cup back from her when she was done, and she gagged and coughed as the remnants of it slid down her thoat.  “Ugh, gross! What is that stuff, ground up bugs and moss water?”

“...I should add some bugs for taste.  Thanks, Tressa, that’s a good idea!” Alfyn teased, chuckling at Tressa’s disgusted face.  “Nah, just an herb mixture, ground up with some water and a little milk. How do you feel?  Any pain?”

“A little when I move, but not too bad,” Tressa said as she pointed to her abdomen and the bandages.  “Thanks for, uh...saving my life.”

Alfyn flashed her a warm smile.  “Don’t mention it. I’m just glad I could help.  I was actually starting to get worried, with how long you were asleep.”

“You were?  How long was I out?  H’aanit said a few days, but wasn’t specific.”  She could still taste the stuff, so she resumed petting Linde, hoping that would distract her.  It did, a little, but drinking that down made her realize how incredibly thirsty she was. “And can I get some water?”

“Four days and a bit more.”  He put the cup back into his satchel and handed her his own waterskin, which she drank from eagerly.  “We were all worried. H’aanit never left your side, poor girl. She must be exhausted.”

At that, Tressa blinked at looked up at Alfyn, lowering the waterskin.  “She...stayed here the whole time?”

“Yeah.”  He resumed digging through his satchel, looking for something.  “Insisted she be the one to watch over you until you woke up”

_When thou’rt ready..._

And then everything fell into place.  The words, the motions, H’aanit staying at her side, the gentle smiles they shared, the nights spent next to each other by the fire..of course.  How had she been so blind, so foolish?

She’d been so worried about having a crush this entire time that she’d never once really considered that H’aanit might feel the same.  If H’aanit did feel the same. Maybe Alfyn knew, he talked to her often. “...Alfyn, I think I’m in love with H’aanit.”

“I know,” he replied, as nonchalant as could be.

“You _what?!_ ”

“Tressa, you are many wonderful things, but subtle ain’t one of them.  I think you pretty much confessed to her after getting stabbed, bleeding out in her arms.”

A deep flush came to her face.  She couldn’t remember what she had said.  Damn her poorly-timed heart. Then again, it seemed like things would work out after all.  “...yeah, you’re right. I...gods, I’m...has she said anything about...me? To you?”

He was busy taking some things out of his satchel - cloth strips, a pad of some kind, and a salve.  “Yep. I’m not gonna say what - that’d be cheating - but...I don’t think you have anything to worry about, Tressa.  We’ll be here a bit longer, so no need to rush into it. All things in their own time.”

Tressa considered his words, ones that sounded like they came from experience.  That H’aanit felt the same for her was a revelation enough, but looking back...the signs were there.  She’d read enough books to know how this was supposed to go.

“I need to check the wound and change your bandage.  Can you sit up for me and move the furs away?” She did so, wincing and hissing in pain as she adjusted body.  Though there was a tinge of embarrassment on her face at being so exposed, she knew his interest was purely for healing - he had never been anything but respectful to her.  “I’m gonna unwrap the bindings and apply some salve. It might sting a little, okay?”

Tressa nodded and tried to relax as Alfyn began unwinding the cloth strips.  Her thoughts drifted back to H’aanit, picturing how the girl had turned and walked out of the house, hips swaying with her movements.  Tressa’s lips curled up into a smile as a gentle warmth settled into her chest at the images in her mind. _So she likes me back.  Maybe this will work._

She’d talk to H’aanit later, she decided.  When she was ready.

**Author's Note:**

> There's gonna be a part 3 for sure, and possibly more. I added this and the first part to a series, so subscribe to that and you should be notified when it updates.
> 
> Please, leave a comment, tell me what you thought! Or how insane H'aanit's speech is! I did three passes on it! I love her but holy crap is that weird to write.


End file.
